Tetons

At the mid and upper elevations areas of unstable snow persist on steep, avalanche prone slopes underlain by a base of weak, faceted snow. Backcountry travelers could trigger hard slab avalanches one to three feet deep in these steep areas. Slides could be triggered by the first person on a slope or after a slope has been crossed multiple times. Yesterday a skier triggered a hard slab avalanche on an east facing, steep slope at 9000 feet north of Teton pass. The skier had traversed most of the starting area before the slide occurred and was not caught. Avalanches are unlikely at the lower elevations.

A disturbance in the westerly flow will bring light snow to the region overnight and continuing into Wednesday. Accumulations of three to four inches are forecasted by Wednesday evening. Morning lows will be in the single digits then warm only to around ten degrees during the day. Exposed ridge tops will have southwest to westerly winds of 15 to 20 miles per hour. The General Avalanche Danger will continue at MODERATE above 8,000 feet due to areas of persistent unstable snow. Light density forecasted snow will not likely create a higher hazard unless winds pick up to cause significant drifting. Backcountry travelers on steep, avalanche terrain could trigger a hard-slab avalanche to three feet in depth. These slides could be started by a single person or after a slope has been crossed multiple times. Persistent hard slabs are sometimes triggered lower on a slope than softer slabs. Recent slides have had areas nearby with shallow, cliffy terrain where accelerated faceting has occurred. At the lower elevations the general avalanche hazard is LOW and avalanches are unlikely.